Comfortable
by Macx
Summary: moviefic , Imperfection series 16. Jazz, Barricade and a conversation about Earth and the future


TITLE: Comfortable  
SERIES: Imperfection, part 16  
AUTHOR: Macx  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money  
Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):  
English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are...  
FEEDBACK: Loved

The sun was bright, reflecting off silver metal and making the Solstice gleam. Red optics watched as Jazz transformed, looking carefree and happy, though Barricade knew that underneath the Autobot carried as much the weight of the world as many of his kind did. Despite their connection he still saw it as a weakness.

But this was Jazz. He wouldn't brood or seek out solitary spots to think about his fate and that of the planet. That was more Optimus Prime's job.

"Beautiful day!" Jazz exclaimed. "Man, I'm glad the rain's over."

"It's just water," Barricade remarked.

"Says the one who complains about mud."

"I didn't complain."

Jazz grinned. "Suuuure."

Barricade flashed him a warning look, but part of him was relieved that the bad weather front had slid finally past, too.

The silver Autobot walked over to him, leaning against the rock wall next to his black counterpart. Their shoulder armors were touching and Barricade found it both disturbing and strangely nice. Jazz had picked up a lot of human traits, incorporated them in his daily life, and while Barricade scoffed on most of them, some were… nice.

He almost groaned at that thought.

"Any plans?" his partner asked casually.

"Your leader seems to expect me to report on my patrols."

"Optimus likes to know what's going on."

"I'm not an Autobot," Barricade ground out.

"You're a valuable ally who knows Tranquility and Mission City like no one else does. Your input can help us."

"Do what?"

Jazz shrugged. "Help."

Barricade snorted, shifting a little. "Knowing two settlements on this planet doesn't let you know this world."

"But it won't hurt us to gather information anyway."

"How can you think of protecting this world if they don't even know you exist? They fear you, Jazz. They'd rather want you dead."

"Cade…"

"It is the truth! You work with a small contingent of those men who would turn against you to protect their country. Showing yourself openly will get you on a hit list as target number one!"

"Cade, they're still learning. Nothing is written in stone. We cooperate with Major Lennox's men, which is our first contact team. This world is our responsibility now. We took the war here."

Barricade snorted. "This isn't more our responsibility than our world is theirs."

"We exist here now, too. We live among them. Barricade, I can't just go into stasis and hope for the best. I want to live here, enjoy this new place," Jazz argued, voice serious. "Even if I have to remain here forever."

"Even if they kill you?"

"They won't."

Barricade didn't reply. The sun was warming his armor and it felt… good. It had been something he had enjoyed secretly ever since coming to this alien world. Frenzy had picked up on his changing moods whenever they sat in the middle of a particularly lonely spot -- waiting for an order, waiting for a target, or generally just recharging – when the sun had warmed him to a comfortable level.

Earth was kind of unique. The scientists were right. No other planet he knew was this perfect when it came to distance from the sun and placement of moons. It supported life in various forms and it was ever-developing. Other planets he had visited had either been very far from a small sun, had no sun at all and were plunged in eternal near-darkness, had too many moons, had two suns… the list was endless.

His systems could relax here. There was hardly any energy spent on keeping his core systems running too cold or too hot, and gravitation didn't exert his muscle cables. Humanity could be his enemy, but they were indifferent to him as long as he didn't draw any attention to himself.  
Frenzy had been in love with the variety of things to poke and prod and examine. Barricade had simply enjoyed existing.

Like now.

"'Cade?"

He gave a grunt in reply. Jazz grinned.

"What?" he asked, annoyed by the grin.

"You like it here."

"I could insult you the same way."

Jazz took no offense at all. "Yeah, I love this little world. It's extra-ordinary," he sounded almost wistful.

"Autobot," Barricade growled.

"Through and through." Jazz bumped his shoulder lightly into Barricade's. "Ex-Con."

Red optics flared a little. "You like to live dangerously."

Blue optics glowed in a warm, mildly teasing light in response.

Jazz had adopted human traits. Like touch. Barricade couldn't recall the last time before the war they had been physically this close. Touch meant little in the world of spark sharing where the essence of another joined with oneself. Throughout the war it had been fast, to reassure himself and Jazz that they were still there, still one. No time for mistakes.

Here, they had time. It was almost like back home.

Almost.

Because Cybertron wasn't this close to a sun, didn't consist of organic matter.

Barricade's gaze was on the landscape around him and he was startled out of his musings when Jazz transformed and kicked up dust with his tires.

"C'mon. There's a movie in the old drive-in in Tranquility."

Barricade stared at him. "You want to watch a movie?"

"Yep."

"Who else?" Barricade asked suspiciously.

"Well, to keep our cover I thought I'd provide the ride for some of the guys back at the base."

Barricade sneered. "Use a hologram."

"Nah. Coming?"

The former Decepticon hesitated.

"It'll be fun!" his partner wheedled.

"I don't do fun."

"Spoilsport. Of course you do. It's an action movie. Things blow up."

Barricade shifted a little again, then transformed. "I'm not taking in any humans."

"No one's asking you to. You might want to go undercover, though. A cop car is a little suspicious."

"You push me into going to a movie and then you criticize the outfit?" Barricade snarled. 

"Just lose the officialness for a night, Cade. Tomorrow you can be the bad ass cop again." Jazz rolled forward and gently pushed his bumper into one fender. "It'll be cool."

Barricade wondered why the silver Autobot could get him to do things not even Megatron could have commanded him to do. Well, almost everything. He had never changed sides throughout the war just because Jazz had asked him.

So as they drove to the Autobot base, Barricade consulted his data base and decided to shift a few things just for the time it took to go to the movie and stay there. Not that he would enjoy it. Having humans nervously glance at the police car among them was quite entertaining. All of them, without exception, had a bad conscience.

°°° °°°

It turned out all but Ratchet and Optimus were going. Ironhide's presence had Barricade on the edge. The large truck was driven by Major Lennox, with Sergeant Epps as the second passenger, Bumblebee had, of course, his charge with him. Jazz was occupied by two of Lennox's men. The rest of the men who had wanted to come along drove their own vehicles. Barricade hadn't offered anyone the chance to sit and watch the movie in him.

The now completely black Saleen Mustang sat next to Jazz, watching things getting blown up, secretly enjoying the mayhem on the huge screen.

::Told ya:: Jazz sent electronically through a private channel.

::Shut up:: was the only reply, but he didn't mind that his partner's spark came closer.

Not at all. 


End file.
